Angola: Secretary Antony J. Blinken At the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Roundtable On the Lobito Corridor: Supporting Transcontinental ConnectivityThe Lobito corridor, which connects the Angolan coastline to rich agricultural production zones & the DR Congo and Zambia, is critical to unleashing a diversified economy for Angola and its neighbors, according to the World Bank.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. And to all of our partners from across governments, financial institutions, from regions around the globe, welcome. Thank you for being here this afternoon. We're doing this with the highest standards of transparency, labor and environmental protections, in partnership with communities, to make sure that we're being responsive to their needs.
We look forward to welcoming Italy, which has already made significant investments on the continent through its own Mattei Plan. Just moments ago, several members of the group announced new steps forward to build a railway connecting Zambia and the Port of Lobito, including: signed agreements between Angola, Zambia, and the Africa Finance Corporation to continue developing the project; the U.S. Trade and Development Agency providing more than 2 million in grants for environmental and social impact assessments to uphold standards, building on recently completed feasibility studies.